SOURCE: PermissionTV

June 23, 2008 09:37 ET

PermissionTV Introduces Proven Tools for Interactive Marketers and In-House Developers to Accelerate Adoption of Online Video

Company's Published APIs, Web Services and Solutions Hub Help Agencies and Brands Develop Interactive Video Experiences; 100+ Developers Participating at Launch

WALTHAM, MA--(Marketwire - June 23, 2008) - PermissionTV, a leading online video platform provider, today furthered its commitment to growing the online video industry by announcing the general availability of its Platform Development Kit (PDK) and Solutions Hub to facilitate the creation and management of engaging and customizable video experiences.

Already more than 100 developers from more than two dozen innovative companies such as AKQA, Avenue A | Razorfish, Bob Vila, ExtendMedia and WhittmanHart, are leveraging PermissionTV's new resources to enable the rapid delivery of a complete spectrum of online video experiences, from simple players to innovative, highly interactive video applications. Across the full range of online video experiences, PermissionTV's platform responds to viewers' needs and preferences in real-time to engage viewers in ways that are not possible with static Web video.

ABI Research estimates the number of viewers who access video via the Web will nearly quadruple in the next few years, reaching at least one billion in 2013. Interactive agencies and in-house developers now aim to create scalable online video experiences that evolve as consumers' demand more engaging and interactive experiences.

"Demand for online video is exploding, but it isn't enough to simply add video to a Website. Successful initiatives are delivering interactive video experiences that effectively immerse the consumer in both the video and the brand," said Peter Cole, Director of Creative Development, AKQA. "PermissionTV's resources provide an innovative way for companies to quickly and cost-effectively make the transition from passive, linear online video to the full interactivity of Video 2.0."

Platform Development Kit (PDK)

The PDK enables developers to quickly and easily build custom online video applications through its published application programming interfaces (APIs) and Web services. The PDK leverages the power and extensive capabilities of PermissionTV's core platform, including video preparation and management, player deployment, reporting, and pre-built integrations with leading providers of video and advertising technologies to allow the developer to focus on the viewer.

"With the level of creativity that we infuse into our interactive projects, we need a full featured online video framework to support our streaming video applications," Chris Colinsky, National Creative Director, Flash Development, WhittmanHart. "PermissionTV's PDK enables our development team to efficiently create these custom experiences without having to worry about the nuts and bolts. The PDK is flexible, provides robust feature sets, and allows us to create one-of-a-kind interactive experiences."

The PermissionTV PDK features readily accessible and programmable objects, and provides easy-to-follow tutorials and downloads. The PDK also provides reference players complete with source code so that developers can easily extend existing solutions or build new video players from scratch to expedite the online video experience development process.

Developed in collaboration with acclaimed Flash expert and author Joey Lott, the PDK provides hundreds of ActionScript 3.0 classes and FLA files are available for Macromedia Flash developers and designers. Proven through initial implementations with companies including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bob Vila and ExtendMedia, several fully functioning video players are ready for modification and quick deployment through open APIs.

"PermissionTV has made a significant investment in establishing professional-grade development tools to drive the online video industry to the next level," said Joey Lott, Partner, The Morphic Group. "Developers can rely on PermissionTV's innovative technology and best-practice resources to deliver online video applications that create rich, engaging brand experiences."

The PDK implementation is based on a model-view-controller (MVC) micro architecture that allows developers to bind visual elements to functionality and custom data objects as part of the player-build process. The result is a code architecture that supports dynamic and interactive video experiences.

"PermissionTV's PDK provides a toolkit that empowers the developer to leverage PermissionTV's robust online video capabilities while implementing innovative video interfaces," said Michael Scafidi, Sr. Presentation Layer Architect, Avenue A | Razorfish. "Plus, for the developer who just needs to get a comprehensive player up and running quickly, the PermissionTV Solutions Hub provides a gallery of video applications that can be quickly modified to their needs."

The Solutions Hub

The Solutions Hub provides a full spectrum of ready-to-use, online video applications to rapidly customize and deploy online video experiences. The Solutions Hub features example integrations with a wide array of technologies including: DART, Google Ad Sense for Video, Grid Networks, Move Networks and Tremor Media.

It is the first online video resource designed to inspire and educate both content owners and developers by showcasing a growing library of best-practice concepts and application modules built on the PermissionTV platform. Available downloads span the full spectrum of online video applications from branded user-generated video campaigns, content hotspotting and interactive video experiences to simple ad-ready players and pre-built integration with Google AdSense for Video.

"The online video industry continues to grow and evolve with all types of companies taking part," said Will Richmond, a broadband analyst and president of Broadband Directions LLC. "Increasingly, both brand marketers and in-house developers are looking for customizable online video solutions that allow them to get their content up quickly and cost-effectively, but are still scalable to support multiple business approaches."

"The first iteration of online video was about playing videos online. But consumers expect more, and many brands and content owners are struggling to deliver relevant, interactive experiences to efficiently cut through the clutter," said Bob Lentz, president and CEO, PermissionTV. "The PermissionTV Platform Development Kit and Solutions Hub are helping to move the industry into the age of Video 2.0. We offer both the simplicity and power that content providers, and their site visitors, require."

For more information on the PDK or the Solutions Hub, please visit: http://www.permissiontv.com/developers/.

About PermissionTV

PermissionTV provides a flexible online video platform for brand marketers and advertisers, media companies and publishers, as well as their agencies, content producers and technology providers. This platform helps organizations leverage the power of online video to achieve their marketing objectives through the creation and management of customizable experiences. PermissionTV's online video tools help customers such as Bob Vila, Boston Symphony Orchestra, FHM Magazine, Harvard Business Publishing and Intercontinental Hotels capture new audiences, enhance relationships, maximize customer value and generate revenue. For more information, please visit www.permissiontv.com.